It has to be bought fresh; and it sells out quickly. I have to wake up early on Saturdays to ensure a loaf and a Gazeta Wyborcza (the paper also sells out quickly) from our local grocery shop Tomasz by W-wa Jeziorki station. If I get to the shop after 9:30, there's no guarantee I'll find either.
This bread is so tasty that I can eat the end bit and two or three slices without even spreading butter let alone putting anything else on it. Running the loaf through the bread-slicer produces a pleasant crunching sound, like a foot landing softly on dry twigs.
And note the sticker on the bread! No unnecessary packaging. Reminiscent in the stark simplicity of its marketing message to replacement labelling (etykiety zastępcze) used in Poland during the 1980s.
Due to this summer's Russian drought and central European floods, wheat prices have almost doubled and the loaf above now costs 3 zlotys (66p at yesterday's exchange rates). A year ago, the same loaf was 1.80 zlotys.
The standard Polish loaf has but one drawback; due to lack of flour enhancer, its sell-by date is measured in hours rather than weeks (as is the case with British bread). By this evening, the remains of this loaf will have lost most of the crunchiness in the crust and the texture will become heavier. An evening kolacja based on the morning's bread served traditionally with cheeses and smoked meats does not offer the same delight to the palate as a fresh-bread breakfast.
But what's left over from the previous morning makes for good frying bread the next day. Put some fried polędwica łososiowa (thin slices of cured pork loin) onto the fried bread, serve with sliced tomatoes and fresh corriander (or Branston pickle*). Nothing should go to waste; bread is still treated in Poland with near-religious respect.
* Branston pickle: 400g jar for 12 zlotys at Kuchnie Świata in Złoty Tarasy. Essential for cheeses and meats.
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6 comments:
If you're such a bread lover you need to come round to Oskroba bakery on ul. Wąwozowa on Kabaty - it's combined with a meat shop, on the KEN-Rosoła stretch, opposite Tesco.
They have the best bread I ate for a long time - and a 1,5 FEET long loaf will set you back only 4,5zł.
This bread is amazing - we routinely freeze it (as it is so large), and after it thaws it still tastes like freshly baked, lovely crunchy et al.
It's called Chleb Wiejski or Górski (I can never remember - just take the biggest loaf they have ;-)
Highly recommended!
Ahh, chleb baltonowski - they really are famous for their short life.
The proper Polish bread is one based on sourdough - the one in Oskroba is an example of that.
It's time for me to refresh the art of baking bread, as we're due to move to the UK next week :-D
A bread preservation tip that might sound odd, but it works: put your bread into a foil bag and refrigerate. It's not about it being chilled, but about the moisture in the fridge that'll prevent the bread from drying too quickly. The crispiness will be gone, but it should stay fresh for a couple more days.
Ewa slices it and puts it in the freezer after we eat our fill. Defrost it and it retains the crisp crust. Just let it defrost at room temp. no microwave!
Bob
Do I want to preserve it? It's like wanting to keep a newpaper fresh for a few days. Our old corner shop (ul. Gajdy) would sell half-loaves, an ideal solution. Half a loaf would do us all for breakfast, walk round in the morning (they open at six) for a new one.
@Michael:
Sure, fresh, sometimes still warm, is the best, but if you end up with a half-loaf left after breakfast, just put it into a plastic bag an throw to the freezer, even don't bother slicing. It'll stay crunchy and almost morning-fresh. But, as Anonymous said, no microwave defrosting.
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